The Myth of the Ab Workout?

Quick post on a rest day to present a discussion on abs/core and their value in a workout routine. I have my answer for this but did want to provide some food for thought so that you know that you are doing the right things in your workouts. Not sure how fully baked my reasoning is but here goes.....

I recently developed more of a focus on strength training in preparing for the Spartan Beast and started studying Mark Rippetoe and Starting Strength. Additionally, I ordered Hobie Call's Obstacle Racing training video. His training has plenty of strength exercises in it but is more focused on high intensity, speed and endurance.

Something said by both of these accomplished trainers is that they do not do core/ab specific exercises. All of their workouts engage the core so you will get stronger there but they don't do anything that particularly targets that muscle group. To add to that, Mark Rippetoe's critique of CrossFit includes a criticism that CrossFit has too many core exercises so that CrossFitters develop the ripped abs they want and make them continue to pay to do the CrossFit program. He argues that these core exercises don't contribute much to functional strength. I would add that trainers who want to build strength with their clients may put too much emphasis on biceps and chest since those are "show" muscles that will keep clients coming back to develop them.  

But...if I believe that it is smart to have a chest day and a leg day and an arm day that will target specific areas to give me the functional strength to beat the Spartan Beast then wouldn't it make sense to have exercises that target the core? My answer is yes.

Let me add to this that I think that a lot of people are exercising their abs/core improperly. I believe that most people are doing a high rep body weight ab routine to strengthen their core. This does not make sense to me. High reps are endurance and cardio. Saying that doing 100 sit ups is strengthening your core is like saying running 10 miles is building strength in your legs. You are not. You are building endurance. To build strength lift heavier weights less times.  

Know what you are training for and develop a routine that addresses your goals. I will do core exercises with heavier weights and lower reps in order to improve my overall functional strength. I will also do body weight ab exercises at higher reps since I need to have core strength for  a Tough Mudder and the Beast which is a 6 hour battle over a 13 mile obstacle course up and down a mountain. The same is true for my arms, chest and legs. I won't treat my abs any differently.

Thoughts??